The Birth and Naming of John

Luke 1:57-66

The time arrived for Elisheva to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son.

Her neighbors and relatives heard how good ADONAI had been to her, and they rejoiced with her.

On the eighth day, they came to do the child's b'rit-milah. They were about to name him Z'kharyah, after his father,

when his mother spoke up and said, "No, he is to be called Yochanan."

They said to her, "None of your relatives has that name,"

and they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called.

He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone's surprise he wrote, "His name is Yochanan."

At that moment, his power of speech returned, and his first words were a b'rakhah to God.

All their neighbors were awestruck; and throughout the hill country of Y'hudah, people talked about all these things.

Everyone who heard of them said to himself, "What is this child going to be?" For clearly the hand of ADONAI was with him.